"In an interview earlier this year, Dell described this time in Dell's history as a period of 'soul searching.' 'We had this incredible boom in the '90s, and a lot of people had made a lot of money, which in some ways hides a lot of problems,' he said. 'The dark side of the boom we pondered was the possibility that we had attracted a lot of people who thought they would get rich. And, if they all of a sudden thought they wouldn't get rich, then they'd wonder what they're doing here.'"